Researchers from the Copenhagen University Hospital, in Denmark, discovered that expectant mothers that take omega-3 supplements while pregnant can reduce the risk that their babies will develop asthma.

Analyzing blood samples from 695 Danish women at 24 weeks of gestation and again one week after birth, the study tested the levels of EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid)—long-chain omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, fish oil and DHA-algae supplements—in the women’s blood. The health of the babies was monitored for five years and compared with the blood analysis. The children of the mothers given 2.4 grams of long-chain omega-3 supplements during their third trimester displayed an overall 31 percent reduced risk of developing asthma.

“Asthma and wheezing disorders have more than doubled in Western countries in recent decades,” explains Professor Hans Bisgaard, of the Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood at the hospital. “We now have a preventative measure to help bring those numbers down.”

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